Waiting was worth it for McKnight

September 03, 2006|ERIC HANSEN Tribune Staff Writer

ATLANTA -- Rhema McKnight is now careful what he wishes for. Upon getting comfortable in Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis' offense last August, the Irish senior wide receiver proclaimed, "It would be nice to have two years in this offense." Wish granted. Sort of. Saturday night's season opener between No. 2 Notre Dame and Georgia Tech at Bobby Dodd Stadium signaled McKnight's return from a season-ending knee injury suffered in game 2 of last season against Michigan. McKnight, ND's leading receiver in 2003 and '04 had hoped to return to action before Weis' inaugural season at Notre Dame had concluded. But the knee injury was much more serious than originally thought, and McKnight ended up taking a medical redshirt year. "It turned out to be a blessing," McKnight said. "Anytime you have an injury, you wonder whether you're ever going to be the same and different things like that. The coaches and people who have watched me play say I'm looking better than before. So I'm very happy to be back, and I'll try to take advantage of that." Remembering Dad Bob Morton figured he'd feel the awkwardness at worst just before kickoff of Saturday night's Notre Dame season opener at Georgia Tech. But after the game there would be no ignoring the hole in his heart. "It'll be tough to leave the field realizing my dad wasn't there in person," said the Notre Dame fifth-year senior offensive lineman, whose father, Robert Morton, lost his fight with stomach cancer Aug. 22 at age 54. "But maybe he'll be there watching anyway." Morton's mom and brother had to cancel their plans to go to the game in order to get the family's McKinney, Texas, home ready for sale. "They are going to get up for the (Penn State game, Sept. 9)," Bob Morton said. "That's going to be our family moment of moving forward." Weis knows the feeling. He lost his father more than two decades ago, but still remembers him before and after each game. "I actually talk to him," Weis said. "People might think I'm nuts if they see me driving in the car, and all of a sudden they'll see me having a conversation. And there's no one in the car. "That's what I'll do. I'll say, 'Here we go. What do you think of this?' I mean he died in 1983, but that doesn't stop me from talking to him." And how might the elder Weis respond? "I think I have a pretty good idea," the coach said. "And sometimes it's not always the nicest." Pre-emptive strike It was Weis' idea to invite the national media to South Bend last spring, to get the posed cover photos of senior quarterback Brady Quinn taken, the one-on-one Oprah-like interviews over with, all the inane "how does it feel" sound bites mercifully bitten. This wasn't Weis' strategy to help Quinn win the Heisman Trophy as much as it was to help the QB win games. "I wanted it out of the way before the (season) came around," Weis said of the Heisman campaign distractions. "I said, 'Once the season starts, the best way to get noticed is how he plays. It's not by how he talks. It's not by how he interviews. It's not by how he looks. "Basically, I was all for getting any publicity for the kid as long as when it was time to play ball, we could play ball." Night moves Playing at night forces Weis to change his and his team's routine a bit, but there is still down time, and Weis usually uses his to watch other college football games. "Some people nap," he said. "There are different things people do. One of the things I do to keep loose is to flip on a game myself." And he usually watches the game by himself. "I'm the worst person to watch a football game with, because all I do is analyze the game," Weis said. "You wouldn't want to watch the game with me." Recruiting rumblings Four of the nation's top recruiting prospects are tentatively scheduled to make official visits this coming weekend for the Irish home opener with Penn State. Heading the list is wide receiver Arrelious Benn, a 6-foot-2, 210-pounder from Washington, D.C., and the No. 8 prospect overall on CSTV recruiting analyst Tom Lemming's Top 100 list. "I believe this could be a make-or-break visit," Lemming said of the Dunbar High senior. "If he leaves Notre Dame without giving them a verbal, ND could be in trouble." Also on the visit list are Chris Little, a 6-6, 327-pound offensive lineman from Jeffersonville, Ga., and No. 33 on Lemming's list; Harrison Smith, a 6-2, 205-pound safety from Knoxville, Tenn., and No. 89; and offensive lineman Trinton Sturdivant, a 6-6, 275-pound offensive lineman from Wadesboro, N.C., No. 99 on Lemming's compilation. Sturdivant is committed to Georgia but is taking a visit to Notre Dame, nonetheless.